# Why do developers count from zero?

DevFeed: [Why do developers count from zero?](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/why-do-developers-count-from-zero-39319.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://kt.academy/article/index_zero>)

Published: 2026-04-27T00:00:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Kt. Academy](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/kt-academy.md>)

Topics: [Programming](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/programming.md>), [C](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/c.md>), [Programming language](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/programming-language.md>), [The Julia Language](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/julia.md>), [Lua](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/lua.md>), [MATLAB](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/matlab.md>)

Tags: [c](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/c.md>), [developers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developers.md>), [history](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/history.md>), [lua](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/lua.md>), [matlab](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/matlab.md>), [programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/programming.md>), [programming-language](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/programming-language.md>), [workshop-learning-programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/workshop-learning-programming.md>)

## AI overview

This video explains why zero-based indexing became common. It discusses efficient use of numeric values and the simpler memory-address formula for arrays, while noting that MATLAB, Lua, and Julia use one-based indexing.

## Source excerpt

Why do developers count from zero? Short history and reasoning behind this convention.